A FATHER has led thousands of tributes for his three-year-old daughter who died on her first day at nursery.

Lydia Bishop died on Monday when she became entangled in a rope at the top of a slide she was using at York College Day Nursery – which has led to the temporary closure of the centre and a full investigation.

Two Facebook pages have been created in memory of the youngster, one with 9,000 supporters and another with nearly 6,000 people leaving messages of support for Lydia’s parents, Brad Bishop and Rebecca Dick.

Mr Bishop left a message to his daughter on the site which reads: “Sweet dreams our little princess we love you so much and will never stop. Sleep tight our little angel, we are always here for you. Mummy and daddy.”

Some messages showed the anger felt by other parents.

Tracey Darbey said: “How could this happen?

“We leave our children with carers, teachers, and minders thinking they are safe and happy.

“This is not a tragedy, this is an utter disgrace. I hope heads roll. My daughter will be three in November and I cannot begin to imagine the pain her parents are going through.”

Her comment sparked a debate between those who said Lydia was not properly supervised and others who believed it was too early to pass judgement.

Richard Thompson said: “I think it’s unfair to try and put the blame on anyone at this stage, I’m sure everybody involved are devastated – family, friends and staff.”

Other posts came from as far afield as Australia.

Detective Chief Inspector Nigel Costello said a full investigation is under way at the nursery to establish how the accident happened.

He said: “We have taken possession of the rope that was on the slide, which Lydia became tangled in, and we need to determine whether the rope is on the slide as manufactured or whether it was added subsequently.”

The City of York Safeguarding Children Board, Ofsted and the Health and Safety Executive are also involved in the investigation.